Camp GLOW 2014: Day 2

The second day at Camp GLOW began at 4:30am before the sun even had a chance to rise. Although there were no activities programmed until 6:00am, the girls arose with great excitement to start their day by showering in the freezing cold showers. Long before 6:00am, the campers were ready to go on a guided walk through the cloud forest. Almost everyone participated, but a few Peace Corps Volunteers stayed behind to catch up on some sleep that was lost the night before and from earlier that morning. By 7:00am, breakfast was served with the traditional Nicaraguan staples of eggs and gallo pinto, but like the previous night’s dinner, there was a serving of something new for the girls to try – French Toast.

After breakfast, the campers headed to the soccer field to play field games. They participated in all of the camp classics, but the favorite was the relay race

The field games were followed by more physical activities facilitated by Plan Nicaragua. To introduce the gender inequality workshop, Plan’s facilitators led the girls through several different games that challenged the standards of girls not being able to participate in rough housing. Girls can play like the boys too!

The purpose of these activities was to break stereotypes but also to make the girls aware of the restrictions and boundaries society places on female identity. After over two hours of engaging in physical activity, the girls relocated to the auditorium to continue the conversation about gender roles and watch a few videos. The girls at this point were exhausted and quite happy to watch two short videos that illustrated how gender roles and machismo are integrated into children from a young age and how both genders are disadvantaged by the roles in which they are conditioned to conform.

Before departing for lunch, the workshop paused with the reflection of the empowering quote from Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”

The Plan facilitators continued the Gender Inequality workshop after lunch by discussing sexuality and self-esteem. The girls were asked to give their interpretations of the definitions of sex, gender, gender equality, empowerment and gender discrimination. They watched another short film relating to sexual abuse and how to overcome being a victim of sexual abuse.

In the afternoon, the girls dispersed for free time activities, which included canoeing, kickball and a stroll through a beautiful labyrinth.

In the evening during free time, the girls sang karaoke, played kickball and did arts and crafts. Lots of fun!